Travels with The Rayman

Are any of you women starting to relate to “On Golden Pond’?  Just wondering.  It may be time to watch it again.  I”m kidding to a degree because when you travel and are out of your routine, funny things happen.  Top of the list, of course, is getting lost.  Second is losing things other than your way.  “Where is my hat?”.  “Where is my jacket, I cannot find it?”.  “What happened to the tape measure?”  “Have you seen my iPad?”  “I can’t find my sunglasses.”  The list goes on and on.  It seems more acute on the road even though our space is smaller, the amount of things we took along is much smaller. 

Or is it just us?

The last few days have been travel days as we are heading south from Portland to Morro Bay.  We stayed several nights in Newport, OR using the excuse that we wanted to play golf (we did and Rayman got a birdie so we celebrated with birdie juice and a trip to the carwash) and/or we wanted to see the sights. 

The real reason is that we wanted to eat at Local Ocean.  Great seafood restaurant.  Do not go there if you want a hamburger.  Don’t go there if you want a pulled pork or a BLT.  Go there if you want roasted garlic and fresh Dungneness soup.  Do go there if you want fish cooked perfectly…halibut, salmon to name two.  They have it down.  Fresh as a flounder (there weren’t any founders on the menu), cooked medium rare.  With interesting veggies, interesting noodles.  Yummy.  We ate there 3 times.  And we stayed at a very expensive RV resort that was perched (also a fish) on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific.

  It had beach access, indoor pool and sauna, pickleball court and heaven knows what else.  That is where I sat watching for whales one morning and saw probably 20-30 blows.  It was exhilarating.  Plus we could see the lighthouse on the bluff to our south.

Here are some pictures. 

After all that, we hooked up and drove to Coos Bay for 2 nights.  Stayed an extra day for a stimulating round of golf.  I beat Rayman because on one hole during the end of the round, he lost his drive in the woods on the right.  Then he lost his second ball in the same woods on the right.  Then he lost his third ball in the woods on the left.  Those narrow fairways got between his ears.  We played at a course about 20 miles north of Bandon Dunes and payed only $50 a round compared to Bandon which is about $350 a round.  So, I suppose you could argue that we were still ahead even factoring in Rayman’s lost balls.  It was a fun course and we had a great time. 

It was Friday.  Kavanaugh had testified on Thursday, along with his accuser, Dr. Ford.  It took us back to our honeymoon which we celebrated on the big Island of Hawaii while Anita Hill testified against Clarence Thomas.  We had TV to watch re: the hearing and Bill Maher hosted Steve Bannon.  Didn’t want to miss that so I jumped in the kitchen and made pesto (from scratch, “Where is my olive oil?”) and a tossed green salad for dinner so we didn’t need to go out to dinner.  Good move.  It was very interesting TV. 

Today, we saddled up and hit the road for Brookings, Oregon, our last night in the beautiful state.  As soon as we pulled in and set up the RV, it rained.  “Where’s my coat?”,  ‘Where’s my hat?”   “Where are the keys?”  “Where is the restaurant.  And so it went.

The funniest thing was uttered by Rayman today.  We were passing through Gold Beach, Oregon.  Their high school sits right on the highway.  The school sported a big sign painted on the side of the building…Home of the Panthers.  “Well, that is silly.  I would think they could think of a better name.”, I exclaimed.  Without missing a beat, Rayman said, “Yeah, It should be Home of the Goldfish”.    We both roared uproariously. 

I can’t remember what happened next so I’ll close now.  On the banks of the Chetco River.

At long last, we have almost succumbed to the wired world.  I don’t choose my words lightly.  It did feel like a near-death experience for us.

When you need everything new, what way do you approach the problems of the wired world?  We decided we needed a TV first.  So, we bought the TV. (see previous blog for the details of that task).  Then we ordered up the DishTV.  We chose Dish because we are familiar with them and they will allow us to suspend our service for up to 6 months for a $5/month charge.    Dish provides the signal for the TV. 

We then ordered up the wifi using a different provider.  We choose Xfinity because they are the only one that services our block.  It took several calls to figure that out.  We need the wifi when we are not here because we decided we should have a home security system.  We are in a mixed neighborhood.  That’s another way of saying, the house on our right is close to being a teardown.  The house across the street and up one is a definite teardown right now.  Please see below.  When you have a home security system, wifi is important. 

I’m presently perched on my chair trying to get the home security system to find our wifi.  In other words, I’m in password hell.  So many passwords, so little time.  Everything needed a password pronto.  The only people that provided me with the passwords I thought up on the spot, was Xfinity.  All the others are a blur.  I’m running through them now.  It looks bleak.  I just noticed some of the neighbor’s names for their wifi.  They include the following:  Jeeves, TheSoundofMusic, Beer, SilverBarley, dingding, awfullyslow, and PanicRoom.  What does this tell me?  I need a better name than FamilyRoom.  But I am still locked out from my needed wifi connection by the security system.  OMG.  This might take all day.  I’m going to shout Uncle and call their customer service number (which is always humiliating because they ask for your password which is unknown).  They may require me to reset everything.  That’s okay….I’ll write it down. 

So…I was able to reset my password with the wifi.  It took 45 minutes and I had to provide everything but Lincoln’s birthday.  Amazing to me that I was successful so I plowed forward to try to get the Vivinet to connect to the wifi.  It’s been an hour and no-go.  What the heck.  I’m going to try to reach them…again.  Sigh.   I reached out.  And what I discovered was that I was attempting to populate the field with the wrong password.  Shocked.  Shocking.  Shocked.   Having been told the error of my ways, I got it to work!!  And I was able to sign into Netflix in the record breaking time of a gelding rushing out of the gate at the Belmont.  Okay.  I perhaps am taking liberties with the truth.  Firstly, I put in the wrong email address (we have three between us).  Then I tried to delete one letter but instead deleted the entire field.  Third time was a charm and victory was realized. 

And that’s when we tuned into Ozarks.  My interest was piqued by my friend, Nancy, when she moved to, well, the Ozarks.  This promised to provide hours of seat-of-your-pants viewing.  It has it all.  Sex, drugs, hillbillies (some with brains), money, Mexicans, cartels, money laundering, infidelities, and great acting.  What more could a woman want? 

Tomorrow we leave for the coast of Oregon on our trek homeward.  First stop Newport.  Or as they say in Virginia, Newpert.  Intend to view it as our vacation because what we have been consumed with has been anything but.  Did I mention that I am sick of shopping?  Need a break.

OH, and before I forget, go see The Wife with Glenn Close.  A movie for the times.  It’s swell.  Saw it tonight in downtown Portland.  Then went to a Jewish deli that was a great choice for an after movie sandwich.  Really wasn’t very hungry because my cousin’s first born, Ali, and her Spanish husband, Bernat, hosted us for breakfast this morning.  Spanish tortilla, scrambled eggs, pastries from the bakery.  It was so much fun to be with them, and Kristen and her three children, and Larry.  Sue missed it because she was waiting for their handy man who was coming to replace their garbage disposal.  Larry made bastard fizzes and Emre, the boy twin, got a bloody nose. There was no causal relationship…just what happened.  After the meal, we retreated to their lovely back yard which includes 5 monster tomato plants that the kids couldn’t resist… so they picked green tomatoes.  And a hammock that they all clamored to swing on.  Don’t we all wish we had their energy?  Why walk when they can run?  Why sit when they can move?  Whirling dervishes, these part Turkish children are and we love them to pieces.  If I had to take care of them for a day, I’d need a week to recover. 

A few words about Portland.  It is a small city with a big heart and many quirky things.  We love it.  Women sport purple hair.  Saw a man with a ponytail wearing a Scottish get-up (did he have undies under that skirt?).  Many rings through noses.  Tattoos abound.  City streetcars with Ikea ads plastered all over them.  Interesting shop windows.  Interesting shops that you don’t see everywhere which is refreshing in a world awash in strip malls with all the same stores…Bed, Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, MacDonald’s…you get the picture.  The sameness is at once predictable but entirely boring.  WalMart has not replaced everything, it turns out.  Even my home town of Paso that sported stores unique to the place…now has Target, Chili’s, Pier One.  And Walmart.  Sad.  But don’t get me wrong.  Portland has those too.  But it also has neighborhoods, districts, that are populated by stores with unique names like Gizelle, Gin and Denim, Fire and Stone.  And the food trucks.  Every ethnicity seems represented.  It is true.  It makes me feel old in a way and vibrantly alive in another.  Can’t wait to return and have all our friends up for a visit!! 

Maybe by next summer, I’ll be able to find my way around.  This kid is lost 95% of the time.  I can’t get my barings.  Or is it bearings?  At any rate, if I think we should be turning right, invariably we need to turn left.  Could mystery microwaves be scrambling my sense of direction?  I’ve never felt so lost.  I swore my cousin’s house was on the opposite side of the street as ours.  It’s not.  Lost in space.  That’s me.  And that’s that for now.

My, today has been challenging because of “The Great Convergence”.  Let me just recount the events of the day.

Arose at 6:15 a.m.   Went to move The Dog House from our RV park location to a storage location.  We are now officially spending the nights at the skinny house (SH).   Cheaper to store than to camp.  The move including about an hour’s drive in morning traffic, weaving and dodging traffic all the way to Tualatlin from Troutdale.   The RV storage place has a command center.  That’s where Rayman disappeared for about 20 minutes to sign countless forms, present proof of insurance…etc.  Then from there, we drove a couple of miles to the actual storage lot.  There was a kiosk with a keypad and Rayman endeavored to put in his pin that he had just furnished to the command center.  It didn’t work.  He had to call.  He had chosen his phone number but he didn’t hit star first.  Oh, well, that was a precursor to what followed.  We parked the RV.   And rushed back to SH because we had my cousin’s husband standing guard as deliveries were expected.  Good thing because the chairs arrived first while he was there. 

What else was expected?  A package from Williams Sonoma, a package from Amazon, our new TV, the security service ADT, and the DishTV people. 

The TV was due yesterday but we received a call saying that they were moving delivery to this a.m.  When this a.m. came and went, Rayman drove to Best Buy to find out what happened to the TV because I called the local store and was on hold for 15 minutes before hanging up in disgust.  While he was gone, the ADT people showed up.  No sooner had they arrived when Rayman called to report that the TV was on the truck.  The store contracts out deliveries.  They could not reach the truck company.  The supervisor of the truck company did not answer.  It was organized chaos.  Rayman developed a very bad headache.  He came back with news that the TV was on the truck but no one could tell us when it might arrive. 

AS I mentioned, the ADT people were here.  Have you ever ordered home security?  It is high tech.  It requires a special word which must be remembered for verification when an emergency occurs.  It requires two different passwords.  More on that later.

So, we had purchased a mattress for our RV and when we received it before leaving on this trip, we decided we really didn’t need it but it was so expensive to return, we kept it.  It was in the garage.  Well, we decided after buying SH that we could use that mattress.  So, I spent a couple of hours on the UPS website arranging for shipment from our beach bungalow to our SH.  When I hit ship, something went wrong and the order never took.  This was a sign.  So, today I was resolved amid the chaos to try FedEx.  Actually, I signed up for an account and thought I had arranged the shipment.  But Fedex never showed up today.  So, I was actually working on why that was the case.  In the middle of discussing the situation with FedEx, the ADT people wanted to teach us how to use the system.  I asked Rayman to go and deal with it as I was on the phone.  He did.  He chose pins.  After my call, I joined then and as I was being taught how to use the system, it required Rayman to enter the pin.  IT DIDN”T WORK.  How many times has that happened to you?  Many for me in the privacy of my own home.  This however, involved two installers watching him forget the pin that he just entered.  Poor RAyman.  He was so flustered from the Best Buy experience, I think he just drew a blank. 

The other thing is that the guy that taught us spoke at breakneck speed and it was hard to follow.  I commented that they were probably going to have a beer and laugh about how dumb we were.  They didn’t deny it.  Just sayin.

So, right as the ADT people left, the TV arrived.  We are mounting the TV over the fireplace.  This requires a gizmo that tilts the TV.  Screws were missing.  Off to Best Buy we went.  We left with an HDMI cord.  No screws.  Final solution?  The screwed were included with the mounting gizmo.  Oh, and on the way to the Best Buy store Rayman got lost and this involved about a 15 minute detour which increased his headache.   The project was abandoned.  We opted for restaurant dining instead.

Epilogue:  The TV is mounted, the wifi is installed, the home security is activated.  It only took a week and a day.  We are fully wired and ready to roll!!!

What is the difference between a coverlet and a quilt?  A quilt and a bedspread?  A bedspread and a duvet?  These topics consumed my quiet Sunday morning as I struggled to find a good look for the master bedroom.  Life used to be so much easier, less complex.  You bought a bedspread.  End of story.  You used blankets instead of comforters….often times there were many blankets on the bed when bitterly cold as Paso can be.  The weight was thrilling.  Cold sheets became warm as you huddled under the mountain of blankets shivering.  Electric blankets?  That was before electric blankets.  If you were sick, you might have a hot water bottle on your feet to ward off the cold. 

Now in our age of plenty, there are dust ruffles, comforters, shams (sometimes it feels like a sham), extra pillows for heightened decor, duvets, quilts.  Electric blankets have come and gone.  And so it goes.  All this caused me much confusion and bewilderment when attempting to buy some things on line, without benefit of touch.  No walking from the comforters to the throws.  Oh, my I neglected to mention the throws. 

Exasperated and getting bored, I finally put together an ensemble and when I hit the cart icon, $559,95 appeared.  Oh, my.  That was absurd.  So, I wandered off to other websites and tried to recreate the look.  Navy blue duvet, or was it coverlet?  Two down pillows, one down comforter…to force feed into the duvet, and a throw with a multiple of colors for, well, some interest.  $225.45.  Much better.  Hit send and in a few days, my bed “clothes” will arrive via UPS or FedEx.  Free shipping to my door of the skinny house. 

Rayman needed a connector for the sewer line.  Decidedly less troublesome.  It is one part.  It has one design.  $5.  Only no free shipping so off I went on Amazon, searching for kitchen gadgets that I needed to run up the bill for free shipping.  Hope it all arrives before our “gray” water tank fills up in TDH.  And while I’m at it, don’t you think Amazon is the perfect name?  Navigating the Amazon takes on additional meanings. 

Living in Morro Bay and by extension, San Luis Obispo county, there is no Ikea.  In Portland, there is an Ikea conveniently located next to the bridge that spans the Columbia River and takes you to the state of WA.  Right in the middle of the bridge, heading north, WA greets you to their fair state.  The red tape must have been a doozy.  Two states meeting in the middle of a river.   I’d be interested in THAT story.

But I digress.

Ikea was where we spent hours Saturday.  It is an enormous blue building.  A city block perhaps.  We arrived early to beat the crowd.  Our effort was a total failure.  The place was packed mostly with young people shop, shop, shopping.  The place has a restaurant where you can dine on Swedish meatballs.  While shopping, there are maps of the store showing you which way to walk.  The massive second floor is set us with total rooms using Ikea products.  The massive first floor is where you find your merchandise, Aisle 25 bin 4, for instance.  You load it on your big cart and head for the registers.  It is amazing.   While viewing the rooms, you get ideas for how their products look.  Then you figure out what you want or need or both.  And that is where the rub comes in.  We traversed that first floor many times trying to make decisions on things we wanted or needed.  It was as time consuming and confusing as my time on the web, Sunday, a.m.  After about 3 hours, we had on our carts:   1 full length mirror, a very small kitchen cart with a wood top, a chest of drawers, 12 wine glasses, a tiny wine rack for the pantry so the bottles can luxuriate on their sides, and a partridge in a pear tree,  Oh, and a big canvas picture that will adorn a wall somewhere.  $500.  Oh, plus $50 to deliver the loot, did we want it tonight, the clerk asked?  This outfit has all the bases covered.  When we went to pay, Rayman asked the cashier if was always this busy.  “No.  This is the busiest day of the year.”  We know how to pick em is all I can say.   Click the link.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/

After paying up, we pushed our carts over to the Home Delivery line.  While waiting, I espied a couple eating frozen yogurt on a cone.  That is when total hunger overcame me.  So, I told Rayman as he was paying for the delivery (yes, a separate charge transition) that I would go and get us each a cone.  Great, he agreed.  There was no line for the yogurt so there I was with two cones and my grocery-type smaller cart, juggling my purse, my wallet, and my curiosity.  What was taking so long?  Why was he still at the register of Home Delivery?  Somehow, I managed to get back to where he was and that is when I learned that the cashier had hit a wrong button and the machine froze up and she had to wait for the supervisor to clear the transaction.  I handed him the half melted cone of yogurt and headed for the car with my cart which held things that would fit in the car.  But I could not find the car.  Where the heck did we park?  It had been so long, the memory was being severely tested.  So I wandered.  While searching I ran into another lost woman which cheered me up.  She explained that she always parks in the same place except today she couldn’t find a spot.  There we were…both in a spot.  So as I licked my yogurt the search continued.  At long last I did find the car.  But where was Rayman?  As I was loading the things into the back of the Ford, my phone rang and it was Rayman.  He was looking for me…and the car.  I looked down the aisle, and there he was phone to the ear, scratching his head.  What a time at Ikea. 

It seems the cashier couldn’t find the supervisor as she was in a meeting and hadn’t told her underling of this development.  So she had to page another supervisor.  It took 20 minutes for the Rayman to escape the cashier’s station.  And get this, they are coming tomorrow between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.  Really. 

Such is the world of modern shopping. 

When I was a kid, shopping took place at the rummage sale held annually in the Guild Hall of the Episcopal church.  My grandfather used to say that my grandmother, whom he often referred to as “Mrs. Schumck” ( I have no idea why and at my tender age didn’t appreciate his humor/sarcasm) would take her junk to the church to donate and come back with new stuff equal to or greater than the things she donated.  Mrs. Peterson of Peachy Canyon fame and quite the soprano in the church choir, made donations that were always desired as were Mrs. Kohlweck’s.  They had good taste and everyone knew it.

The other method of shopping was to wander into the Mercantile.  It was a store that carried clothes, material and patterns, drapes, kitchen stuff.  I’m sure there were many other items in the store, but I only recollect the material and patterns part of the store.  That is where my grandmother bought her items that would be transformed into the clothes for me and her and my mom.   It was a very entertaining process, going to the Mercantile.  Often times my grandmother would be armed with something she intended to return.  That was a hobby of hers.  She was always buying something, dragging it home.  Suffering from buyers’ remorse, she would return it.  The ladies behind the counter probably laughed about it.  “Oh, look, here comes Birdie Dresser with a bag.  You wait on her.”  The other woman undoubted said, “No, it’s your turn.”  Squabbles may have ensued.  It could be trying.  Apparently what they thought of her didn’t bother her a whit.   She just kept buying and returning. 

There is some buyers’ remorse in me and I am sure it is learned behavior.  Ask Rayman.  He will tell you.  Why I’m suffering from it right now.  Was navy blue the right choice?  Should I have opted for that quilt?  And what about that silverware?  OMG, the silverware.   Unlike my grandmother, I try every way I can not to return things.  It can be very difficult.  I’m proud to say I plan to keep the skinny silverware.  It matches the house…skinny.  And it will be a constant source of opinions, speculation, and conversation.  That’s not so bad, now is it?

Must close now.  I’ve got a dish pan that the dinner plates don’t fit into and I must return it.

Happy birthday, Beau.  7 years old today!!  and to his sis, Jaycee!!

What’s been happening?  How are you, dear reader, doing these days?  Hopefully you are having fun.  Playing games.  Loving your family.  Reading a good book.

Portland is a city with great food.  We’ve been eating a lot of it.  Portland has lots of roads.  We are driving most of them.  Portland never sleeps.  We do.  Similarities have to end.  That’s what makes things interesting.   Let me recap all and ask you some questions.

In our new neighborhood, known as the Beaumont, is a busy street named Fremont.  Our new skinny house is 1/2 block off Fremont.  Fremont has a grocery store, an Ace Hardware store, the Grand Central Bakery, Pip’s Donuts, a bank, two breakfast joints, a manicure salon, a gym and that’s all within about 3 blocks from our front door.  So, this new house represents a lifestyle change.  We can walk a few feet and avail ourselves of many goods and services.  This is a good thing.  We are just a few blocks from the biggest cemetery I have ever seen.  Closeness takes on a new meaning with that bit of information, doesn’t it? 

Portland Café Menu

Our family is also close at hand.  My cousin is a 10 minute walk.  Her daughters are a 10 minute drive.  Ryan is across the Columbia in Vancouver, WA.   Their proximity is what drove us to locating where we are.  It is very cool.

So, what else has been happening?  And is this making me younger or older?  Suppose it is making me younger because everything is new.  Everything is a challenge.  The stairs to the bedroom are going to help me keep in shape.  Therefore, new stimulations are forcing us not to sit around and darn socks.  We aren’t left a lot of time to read, watch TV, cook…

Let’s examine the last 48 hours.  Rayman received a call from Ryan.  His dog had not been doing well.  Ryan was getting ready to drive to Burning Man out in the middle of some god-forsaken desert with his lady friend.  Only her Mom had a heart attack and she sold her ticket to Burning Man so that she could jet to Tucson to see her Mom.  So, Ryan was going alone.  But the dog was sick.  So, Rayman left for Vancouver, WA at 10 p.m. to be with him.  He did not return until about 1 a.m.  The dog was gone.  Congestive heart failure, a mass spotted.  Ryan decided to put her down because she was sick and her quality of life was dismal.  Rayman was very glad we were here to be of help at this difficult time. 

The next day we met our friends Al and Char at our house…our first visitors.  After a tour, we went down the street to the Grand Central Bakery for lunch.  While I was standing in line to order, the phone rang.  It was Susie.  I invited her to join us and ordered extra food.  When I went outside to join the party, Rayman was on his phone with my cousin, Chris, who lives down in Camarillo.  He had received a call from a long lost cousin.  What were the chances.  Sue is on my dad’s side.  Chris is on my mom’s side.  What a hoot.

While we were eating, a yellow jacket came along and made a pest of itself.  Al decided to execute a killing on their plate.  This spooked Charlie who then dropped her cup of soup all over herself and the cement patio.  Beau was under the table.  He enjoyed some of the soup before I could pull him away.  In the meantime, Rayman had ordered a BLT and everyone had their food but him…slow grill.  Sue arrived.  A great time was had by all except Charlie who was in the bathroom washing all the soup off her clothes. 

Next up was a 1 p.m. appointment with a window covering person, our third estimate.  About 1:10 she called to confess she was lost.  Then at 1:15 she called to say she left the samples at home.  She was making me feel good…however, her bid was too high. 

We unpacked boxes and I discovered that the Villory and Boch (spelling is all wrong) silverware I bought on-line and got a fabulous price on was not my fav but it did have the advantage of matching the skinny house…the handles are the skinniest I think I have ever seen.  But, hey, for the price, I loaded them in the dishwasher along with 16 plates (I thought I had ordered 8 but somehow the order got doubled), 24 glasses in two different sizes and started the machine which I am happy to report is very quiet.  Bought extra for parties!!

Then we moseyed over the cousin Susie’s to say hi to all the kids…she had them for dinner.  As we were leaving, Rayman backed into a car on the other side of the street (the street is 3 cars wide…skinny in other words).  That involved tracking down the owner, exchanging info before heading back to the Dog House.  Rayman kept kicking himself.  However, what are you going to do? 

That was yesterday. 

Today Ryan called and he received a call from his gal, Tamara.  Her mom had to have 6 stints which they did yesterday.  Today she had another heart attack.  And dialysis was ordered.  Tam called and ask Ryan to fly down and be with her.  So, he bought a ticket for the flight to Tucson, sold his ticket for Burning Man and needed a ride to the airport.  We obliged after we met the window covering woman we selected as our choice. 

While this was going on, we were trying to get our TVs in the Dog House to work.  New splitters were needed.  They sent us new splitters without the requisite power supplies.  We asked them to overnight the power supplies.  Paid $100 for that.  They did not arrive.  FedEx “lost them”.  Then they found them.  Then I called Tiffin to ask them to ask FedEx to refund our money.  Never heard back.   In the meantime, Rayman installed new equipment and the TVs don’t work.  Ugh.

Our chairs and bed were delivered today.  Forgot to mention that. 

So…here we are and after all this…I think I have decided I might be getting older. 

OMG.  It is perhaps time when we should NOT take it upon ourselves to own two houses and an RV.  It’s akin to the difference between having one baby and then have another.  It’s not twice the work, it’s like 1o times the work.  What were we thinking?

Today we have been busy, both of us, arranging insurance, arranging escrow money, arranging bed delivery, arranging a repair on our RV (under warranty, safety recall), arranging the transfer of funds electronically, arranging a TV splitter for the RV reimbursement, arranging for another quote for window coverings (a better name for a product I do not know),  arranging, arranging, arranging. 

Then there is the shopping.  OMG.  New bed, new chairs, new couch,.  Those were done in person at stores in the area.  Getting a mixer, a toaster oven, a food processor, one knife, flatware, glasses, dishes, splitters (for the TV in The Dog House, TDH), spray goop for TDH…all via Amazon in the comfort of TDH, and heaven knows what else.  So many things that I don’t even remember and I don’t want to print it all out to check.

Then there was arranging for a certification of trust for our trust (think attorney).  See… that was very important and I forgot.

Tonight we go to Tom and Collete, bicycle friends for dinner, last night my cousin’s daughter and son-in-law had us over for a lovely dinner in their backyard which is also lovely.  It seems that is  how our days are going…working during the day and parties at night.  So I can only snivel so much.

Tomorrow is escrow, golf in the late afternoon with Ryan (if the air is better), and dinner out, I’m thinking with Ryan.

Friday is the concert to see Portugal the Man at Edgefield, a fabulous venue near our RV park with Ryan and his gal, Tamara.  Take a listen.  They are a group in Portland and hail from Wasilla, Alaska.  Can’t make this stuff up.

Then I must wedge in  my Sunday crossword puzzle, my blog, the book I’m reading and I need a pedicure. 

So, back to my original question:  What were we thinking? 

It has been so smokey here we defrosted a rack of lamb and don’t want to barbecue because of the smoke.  Plus our evening activities have over-ridden the lamb so guess I will be tossing it. 

One thing is for sure, no grass is growing under our feet.  Speaking of grass, mosts Portlanders don’t water their lawns in the summer so they are all brown and unsightly.  During the rainy system, no problem.  While is is smart, it isn’t very attractive.  And we have yet to see artificial grass.  Good for the environment though, as saving water is a good thing. 

More to come.